Career Planning

How do you choose the right career path? It’s an important step in the college planning process that involves more than just declaring a college major. You will need to consider the cost of your college degree, your earning potential, and what options you may have for paying off student loan debt after graduation. Depending on your chosen field, there may even be scholarship opportunities and loan forgiveness programs that can help reduce your out-of-pocket costs. Learn where to find these money saving programs, and which college majors may give you the best return on your investment, as we take a look at some of the more popular career choices.

I’ll be the first to admit that when I hear the term ‘classical’ music, visions of Beethoven pop into my head. I think of taking a nap in the theater while the orchestra squeaks out a long, instrumental piece or tapping my foot in the elevator while waiting to get out on a higher floor. I would never think to include George Gershwin or Duke Ellington in that category, but they are both considered to be among America’s best classical composers. To this day, Porgy and Bess is one of my favorite musicals, and I still can’t listen to “It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got That Swing” without snapping my fingers or swinging my hips. Who would have guessed that I actually like classical American music? Now, I’m not saying it’s downloaded on my iPod, but I can at least appreciate the contributions that Leonard Bernstein and others have made to music. Why am I telling you this? Well, September happens to be Classical Music Month, so I thought it might be fun to ‘orchestrate’ a short list of scholarships that can help you ‘drum up’ some free money for college.

When Labor Day was first officially recognized as a federal holiday in 1894, it was in response to the Pullman Strike, which shut down much of the country’s freight and passenger train traffic. This conflict pitted the American Railway Union against the Pullman Company and the federal government. The U.S. Army was eventually called in to stop the union members from disrupting the trains, but by the time the conflict had ended, more than 30 people had been killed and over $80 million in damages had occurred. In an effort to placate organized workers, President Cleveland and Congress pushed through legislation to recognize Labor Day as a national holiday a mere six days after the strike ended.

Did you know that in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed August 19 to be National Aviation Day? Although it’s not a traditional federal holiday, like Veteran’s Day, it does commemorate the birthday of Orville Wright. The Wright brothers are often credited with being the first to fly, but this is not entirely correct. Others did manage to build planes and fly prior to December 17, 1903, but none had manned a fixed-wing aircraft. Unlike previous attempts, the Wright brothers were actually able to steer and control their plane. In the 110 years since that flight, our fascination with soaring among the clouds hasn’t diminished.

The average public law school student graduates with over $75,000 in student loan debt, which pales in comparison to the nearly $125,000 a private law school student accumulates. That’s quite a large sum to deal with, especially when starting salaries for law students have dropped in recent years. With less than 50 percent of graduates finding work with law firms, it can be struggle to repay loans, let alone make enough to cover their typical living expenses. One way to avoid graduating with enormous debt is to find scholarships that will help defray the cost of a law degree. Many law firms and legal journals offer generous awards to help reduce the costs associated with law school. Here are 10 scholarships that future legal eagles can apply for right now.

Summer may be a few months away, but now is a great time for students to start researching potential employment opportunities. There are always those traditional teenage summer jobs, like working at a fast food restaurant or in retail, but even those jobs are becoming harder to snag. To be competitive, students should make sure they have prepared an updated résumé and a good list of references. They may also want to reach out to their guidance counselors, teachers, coaches or other mentors, as they may know of potential positions in the community or may be willing to recommend them for a job. Working during the summer, when students don’t have to balance homework and other school-related demands, is not only a great way to earn money for college and other expenses, but also a great way to network and learn new skills that can help during the college admissions process. Here are just a few great summer jobs students may want to consider. Continue Reading…